Moon
Phases
Half of the Moon is always lit up by the
sun. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we
see different parts of the lighted area.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/apollo30th/moontheater/phasepage2.html
The revolution of the Moon around the
Earth makes the Moon look as if it is
changing shape in the sky.
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.htm
This is caused by
the different
angles from
which we see the
lighted part of
the Moon's
surface. These
are called
"phases" of the
Moon.
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.htm
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/
lunar/why_phases.gif
The Moon passes through four major
shapes during a cycle that repeats
itself every 29.5 days. The phases
always follow one another in the same
order:
New moon
First quarter
Third quarter
Full moon
New Moon
The lighted side of the Moon faces away
from the Earth. This means that the Sun,
Earth, and Moon are almost in a straight
line, with the Moon in between the Sun
and the Earth. The Moon that we see
looks very dark
New Moon
First Quarter Moon
The right half of the Moon appears lighted
and the left side of the Moon appears
dark. During the time between the New
Moon and the First Quarter Moon, the part
of the Moon that appears lighted gets
larger and larger every day, and will
continue to grow until the Full Moon.
First Quarter Moon
Third (Last) Quarter Moon
Sometimes called Third Quarter. The left
half of the Moon appears lighted, and the
right side of the Moon appears
dark. During the time between the Full
Moon and the Last Quarter Moon, the part
of the Moon that appears lighted gets
smaller and smaller every day. It will
continue to shrink until the New Moon,
when the cycle starts all over again.
Third Quarter Moon
Full Moon
The lighted side of the Moon faces the
Earth. This means that the Earth, Sun,
and Moon are nearly in a straight line, with
the Earth in the middle. The Moon that we
see is very bright from the sunlight
reflecting off it.
Full Moon
There are also four other
phases of the Moon
sometimes used.
Waxing Crescent Moon
This Moon can be seen after the New Moon,
but before the First Quarter Moon. The
crescent will grow larger and larger every
day, until the Moon looks like the First
Quarter Moon.
("Waxing" means increasing, or growing
larger.)
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waxing Crescent Moon
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waxing Gibbous Moon
This Moon can be seen after the First
Quarter Moon, but before the Full
Moon. The amount of the Moon that we
can see will grow larger and larger every
day. ("Waxing" means increasing, or
growing larger.)
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waxing Gibbous Moon
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waning Gibbous Moon
This Moon can be seen after the Full Moon,
but before the Last Quarter Moon. The
amount of the Moon that we can see will
grow smaller and smaller every day.
("Waning" means decreasing, or growing
smaller.)
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waning Gibbous Moon
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waning Crescent Moon
This Moon can be seen after the Last
Quarter Moon and before the New
Moon. The crescent will grow smaller and
smaller every day, until the Moon looks
like the New Moon.
("Waning" means decreasing, or growing
smaller.)
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
Waning Crescent Moon
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
http://www.opencourse.info/astronomy/introduction/04.motion_moon/moon_phases.gif
Waxing & Waning
http://www.nasm.si.edu/apollo30th/moontheater/phasepage4.html
http://www.nasm.si.edu/apollo30th/moontheater/phasepage4.html
MOON QUIZ!!
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChi
ld/solar_system_level2/moonlight.html